Sunday, December 26, 2010

NFL Week 16 review

The Patriots started out in a 0-3 hole but scored 34 straight and got the 34-3 win over the Bills. The Patriots defense forced 7 turnovers (4 fumbles and 3 interceptions) while the offense converted those turnovers into points. Tom Brady threw for only 140 yards but three touchdowns while BenJarvus Green-Ellias added 104 on the ground and Danny Woodhead had 92 more yards and a touchdown. Ryan Fitzpatrick had 251 passing yards for the Bills. The Patriots moved to 13-2 on the season and they clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs while the Bills dropped to a lowly 4-11.

The Bears and Jets played in freezing weather with snow flurries in what was supposed to be a defensive battle, but instead it turned into an offensive shootout with the Bears getting the 38-34 win. The game was a back and forth battle with both teams taking over at certain points. Jay Cutler had 215 passing yards and three touchdowns, Matt Forte had 113 rushing yards and a touchdown and Johnny Knox had 92 receiving yards and two scores for the Bears. Mark Sanchez had 269 passing yards and a touchdown but also had a late interception on their possible game winning drive. The Bears moved to 11-4 on the year and clinched a first round bye for the playoffs while the Jets fell to 10-5 but still made the playoffs because of the Redskins overtime win over the Jaguars.

The Ravens gave up an early touchdown off of a trick play but rebounded to get the 20-10 win over the Browns. The Ravens moved to 11-4 and clinched a playoff spot with the win. Both teams didn't really produce a lot of offense in the game but four Browns turnovers dug them in a ditch. Joe Flacco threw for only 102 yards and two touchdowns while Ray Rice had 92 rushing yards for the Ravens. Ed Reed picked off two Colt McCoy passes in the win. McCoy threw for 149 yards for the Browns. The Browns fell to 5-10 on the year and they have lost three straight.

The Chiefs started fast and cruised to a 34-14 win over the Titans. The Chiefs had a 14-0 lead at the end of the first and had a 31-7 lead heading into the half. With the win and the Chargers loss the Chiefs clinched the AFC West and a first round home game in Kansas City vs either the Ravens or the Jets. Matt Cassel had 314 passing yards, Jamal Charles ran for 77 yards and caught two touchdowns while Dwyane Bowe had 153 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in the win. Kerry Collins had 235 passing yards and two touchdowns for the Titans. The Titans fell to 6-9 on the season.

The Rams are on the edge of a NFC West divisional championship and a playoff spot after a 25-17 win over the 49ers. The Rams scored 10 points and had several big plays in the 4th quarter to secure the win. The Rams moved to 7-8 on the season while the 49ers fell to 5-10 and Mike Singeltery will probably coach his last game for the 49ers next week. Sam Bradford threw for 292 yards and a touchdown in the win and 99 of those yards went to wide receiver Danario Alexander. The 49ers swapped out quarterbacks several times in the game between Alex and Troy Smith. Michael Crabtree had 122 receiving yards and a touchdown for the 49ers.

The Lions got their third straight win, first time since 2007, in a 34-27 win over the Dolphins. The Lions finished of the game with 17 straight points in the 4th that included a pick six. The Dolphins had three turnovers while the Lions didn't give up one. Shaun Hill led the Lions with 222 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win. Chad Henne had 278 yards and a touchdown pass for the Dolphins but also threw two killer interceptions. Brandon Marshall caught 10 passes for 102 yards in the loss. The Lions moved to 5-10 on the year while the Dolphins fell to 7-8 and finished off a miserable 1-7 home record this season.

The Bengals got their 2nd straight win and ruined the Chargers playoff chances in the 34-20 win. The Bengals started out with two early touchdown passes to Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson and then they finished it off with a two more touchdown passes to Jordan Shipley and another one to Jerome Simpson while Bernard Scott added a 10 yard touchdown run late in the 4th to seal the deal. The Bengals advanced to 4-11 on the season and will finish the season vs the Ravens. Carson Palmer finished the game with 269 yards and four touchdowns and Jerome Simpson ,in his first start for the Bengals, had 124 yards and two touchdowns. Phillip Rivers had 256 yards and a touchdown with a limited receiving core for the Chargers. The Chargers fell to 8-7 on the year and will face Tim Tebow and Denver in their season finale.

Tim Tebow fueled the Broncos to a 24-23 win over the Texans. The Texans had a 17-0 lead at the half but Tebow led the Broncos on two touchdown drives in the fourth and one with 3 minutes left. The Broncos advanced to 4-11 on the season while the Texans dropped to 5-10, well below their pre-season expectations. Tebow finished the game with his first 300 passing yard game and threw for one touchdown and ran for one more. Brandon Lloyd had 111 receiving yards and Jabor Gaffney had 90 more for the Broncos. Matt Schaub had 310 passing yards and a touchdown while Arian Foster had 91 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Texans.

The Packers dominated the Giants in every aspect of the game and got the blowout 45-17 win. The Packers forced 6 turnovers (4 interceptions and 2 fumbles) and produced 515 yards of total offense in the win. Aaron Rodgers returned from his concussion that held him out last week and threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Greg Jennings had 142 receiving yards and Jordy Nelson had 124 more yards and a touchdown in the win. Eli Manning had 301 passing yards and two touchdowns but those four interceptions killed the Giants. Mario Manningham had 132 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Giants. The Packers advanced to 9-6 on the season and are still alive in the playoff race while the Giants need to beat the Redskins next week to get the Playoff bid.

The Colts secured a playoff bid and another AFC South Divisional Championship with their 31-26 win over the Raiders. The Raiders started off the scoring with a 99 yard kick off return but Peyton Manning and the Colts came back strong to take over the lead. Manning finished the game with 179 yards and four touchdowns and Dominic Rhodes had 98 rushing yards. Jason Campbell led the Raiders with 231 passing yards and a touchdown and Sebastian Janikowski kicked four field goals in the loss. The Colts moved to 9-6 on the season and have won three straight while the Raiders dropped to 7-8 on the year and hope to end the season at .500 with a win next week vs the Chiefs.

Josh Freeman threw five touchdowns as the Buccaneers beat the Seahawks 38-15. The Seahawks started off the scoring with a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown run. Hasselbeck was injured on the play and never returned for the Seahawks and after that it was all Buc's. Josh Freeman had 237 passing yards in the win and a career high 5 touchdowns. Kellen Winslow had 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns, Mike Williams had 44 receiving yards and two touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount had 164 rushing yards for the Buc's. The Buc's held the Seahawks to only 174 yards of total offense in the win. The Buc's moved to 9-6 on the season and are battling with the Giants and the Packers for the last NFC Wild Card spot. Seattle moved to 6-9 on the season but they will face the NFC West leading Rams in a battle for the NFC West playoff spot.